Canada deportation scam: Travel agent Brijesh Mishra nabbed at Delhi airport, remanded in 7-day police custody

On Tuesday, when he returned to India after being released by Canadian authorities, Mishra was taken into custody as the Jalandhar police had issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) against him.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Harinder Singh Gill, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, said, “We brought him to Jalandhar and took his seven-day remand. We had registered nine cases against him at the Model Town police station. Now, we will investigate each and every case registered against him and also take the information from the Canadian authorities. He was in a detention centre in Canada for about 19 months.”

According to the police, Mishra issued fake offer letters to over 200 students while running his consultancy firm in Jalandhar between 2016 and 2020. Mishra used to charge nearly Rs 16 lakh from each student for visa-related services and college admissions. When the students arrived in Canada, Mishra would inform them that no seats were available at the college that had supposedly issued the offer letter. He would then advise them either to take admission in another college or wait for the next session. In some cases, he even refunded the college fees to the students, but this was not common.

Timeline: From scam exposure to arrest

March 15, 2023: News breaks that nearly 700 Indian students in Canada are facing deportation over fake college admission letters.

March 17, 2023: The Indian Express reveals that Brijesh Mishra had been previously arrested in 2013 for document forgery linked to foreign student placements. A case is registered against him and his associates, Gurnam Singh and Rahul Bhargava, by the Jalandhar police.

March 18, 2023: Affected students begin symbolic weekend protests in Canada, escalating into a continuous sit-in by late May.

March 19, 2023: A Punjab student is blacklisted for five years by Canadian authorities due to a fake letter from Mishra’s firm. MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney meets External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, urging intervention and offering legal aid to the victims.

March 21, 2023: Mishra’s consultancy licence is officially revoked.

March 23, 2023: Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal also appeals to the MEA for assistance in halting deportations.

April 24, 2023: Edmonton-based Karamjeet Kaur receives a removal order from Canadian authorities.
May 27, 2023: Kaur’s removal is deferred – the first such case of relief.

May 29, 2023: Students begin a permanent sit-in protest outside the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office in Ontario. On the same day, the Canadian Immigration Minister confirms an active investigation into the fraud.

June 8, 2023: EAM Jaishankar confirms Indian diplomatic missions will support the affected students.

June 10, 2023: Lovepreet Singh, another student set for deportation, gets a temporary stay on his removal order.

June 15, 2023: Canadian immigration minister announces that a dedicated task force will offer Temporary Resident Permits to genuine students not involved in fraud. They will not face deportation or re-entry bans.

June 16, 2023: After 18 days of protest, students temporarily pause the dharna while awaiting official decisions.

June 23, 2023: Mishra is intercepted at a British Columbia airport by CBSA, and then he was jailed in May 2024.

June 24, 2025: Mishra is arrested at Delhi airport and handed over to Jalandhar police.